DIABETES BASED SCIENCE EDUCATION IN TRIBAL SCHOOLS
Release Date: March 28, 2002
RFA-DK-02-030
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
(www.niddk.nih.gov)
National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)
(www.ncmhd.nih.gov)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
(http://www.cdc.gov)
The Indian Health Service (HIS)
(http://www.ihs.gov)
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: May 11, 2002
Application Receipt Date: June 11, 2002
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations:
PURPOSE OF THIS RFA
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
joins the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD),
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Indian Health
Service (IHS), to invite the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)of the
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to apply for a grant to
develop an educational program to enhance understanding and appreciation of
diabetes and related science in tribal elementary, middle and high schools.
Diabetes is increasingly a devastating disease in the American Indian
communities. Through better understanding of diabetes, Tribal children can
be instrumental in preventing the development and better managing diabetes,
and reducing its human costs. This goal can be better achieved through
greater numbers of tribal children entering into the health science
professions.
This Request for Application (RFA) builds on the ongoing program development
through the planning grants awarded to successful TCUs in the last
solicitation, and is intended to ultimately lead to the development and pilot
testing of diabetes-based science education programs for tribal elementary,
middle and high schools. The educational grant will support the successful
TCUs in putting together a practical supplemental curriculum for K-8, and
High Schools in Tribal Lands. The program will incorporate a diabetes based
science curriculum that will enhance understanding and appreciation of the
problems of diabetes in American Indian communities, and will stimulate
general student interest in diabetes-based science in the early years (pre-
college) of education.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
A. Background: As part of the Federal effort to eliminate racial and ethnic
disparities in health, a need has been identified to increase the number of
American Indian and Alaskan Native children entering into the biomedical
professions. These children who will become the future leaders in the
biomedical sciences will be instrumental in helping to improve the general
health in these communities. The TCUs conduct high quality programs for
educating American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and promote achievement among
their students. They represent a rich resource of talent with the
appropriate cultural sensitivity and perspectives needed in science education
in Tribal communities. The TCUs will be instrumental in interacting with
Tribal elementary, middle and high schools, by creating appropriate linkages
in communities that support American Indian/Alaskan Native educational needs
and develop culturally sensitive programs that can be implemented in these
schools.
B. Program: The award provides support to successful TCUs for up to 5 years
for (1) the principal investigator (2) the faculty and appropriate
consultants to design, develop, implement and continually refine the program
curriculum, and (3) for other Program-related costs.
Each awardee should develop a school-based science education program centered
on diabetes that will inform and motivate tribal children in order to develop
their interest in pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences. The
complexity of developing such a program involving elementary, middle and high
school sites collaborating with individual TCUs will require significant
discussion and consultation. Examples of specific program issues may include,
but are not limited to:
o Development of a curriculum for K-6, or 7-12.
o Collaboration and consortium with multiple TCUs.
o Tribal Culture and science education within the context of diabetes
o Involvement of family and community
o Building on the daily experience of American Indian and Alaska Native
children with diabetes in their communities
o Possible link with the National Science Foundation"s funded Tribal
College Rural Systemic Initiative program
o The role of the Tribal Elders and other significant community groups
in program development within the schools
o Teacher training as part of the science development project
o Implementation of the developed model programs in schools throughout
Indian Country
o Barriers to development and implementation.
C. Environment: The participating institution(s) must have established
research programs and faculty qualified in curriculum development,
implementation, and program evaluation to organize and develop the
curriculum. Qualified faculty members and/or consultants must be available
to participate in the program. The environment and funded institutions
should be team-oriented and highly collaborative with a strong potential for
a dynamic interaction and exchange of information and ideas within and across
diverse and disparate tribal cultures. The institution must demonstrate a
commitment to provide sustained leadership and dedicated faculty time to the
development and implementation of the Program.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This Request for application will use the NIH Education Project Grant (R25)
award mechanism. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution
of the proposed project will be by the applicant. The program award provides
up to five years of support.
This RFA uses just-in-time concepts.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
The participating IC(s) intends to commit approximately $1,000,000 in FY 2002
to fund 6 to 8 new and/or competing continuation grants in response to this
RFA. An applicant may request a project period of up to 5 years and a budget
for direct costs of up to $150,000 per year. Facilities and Administrative
(F&A) costs are payable at the rate of 8 percent of total modified direct
costs. The 8 percent F&A cost rate will also apply to all subcontracts on
R25 grants.
Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from
application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of
each award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide
support for this program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the
availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious
applications. At this time, it is not known if this RFA will be reissued.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS
You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the
following characteristics:
o For-profit or non-profit organizations
o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals,
and laboratories
o Units of State and local governments
o Eligible agencies of the Federal government
o Domestic or foreign
o Faith-based organizations
The applicant institution must be a member of the AIHEC, serving students
from American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. The institution must
demonstrate the commitment and capability to develop a diabetes based science
education program in collaboration with Tribal elementary, middle and high
schools.
Tribal colleges were created in response to the unique higher education needs
of Indian peoples, and in recognition of the tremendous importance of post
secondary education to tribal economic development, cultural preservation,
and sovereignty. Tribal Colleges are located in the heart of their
communities, which are remote areas not served by other postsecondary
institutions. Tribal Colleges foster the development and maintenance of the
highest standards of quality education for American Indians and Alaskan
Natives by improving the accessibility of education programs. Applications
may include more than one institution to create a Program through consortium
agreements that includes all of the disciplines, research environments,
students and faculty needed to accomplish the proposed educational objectives
(refer to the following URL for guidelines on these agreements:
http://grants.nih.gov/archive/grants/policy/nihgps/part_iii_5.htm#Consortium).
However, only one of the participating institutions can be the recipient of
an award.
INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry
out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to
develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial
and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always
encouraged to apply for NIH programs
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Critical elements of the Program Plan include the Principal Investigator, the
Institutional Environment, and the proposed plan for developing and piloting
diabetes related science education program. The applicant must address the
REVIEW CRITERIA listed in this RFA.
Principal Investigator: The Principal Investigator should possess the
expertise, leadership and administrative capabilities required to lead the
planning phase described in this RFA.
Institutional Environment: The Principal Investigator should document the
institutional environment for developing a science education program. The
Principal Investigator may bring in consultants from other institutions
within AIHEC or at non-AIHEC colleges or universities to provide input and/or
critical review. Potential collaborations with other institutions should
also be documented.
Plan: The Principal Investigator should describe a plan for developing a
diabetes based science education program as described in this RFA. This
should include any proposed use of existing resources, building partnerships
with other institutions, use of consultants, and plans for critical review of
the program. The plan should include documentation of potential elementary,
middle school or high school sites to be utilized during this pilot phase.
A plan must be provided for the process and outcome evaluation of the
education program. Benchmarks should be specified, and specific plans and
procedures to capture, analyze, and report outcome measures should be
described.
A plan for continuing the science education program and for the periodic
updating of the program beyond the five-year project period should be
described.
Allowable costs:
1. Salary: The principal investigator may request salary support for his/her
role in leadership, management, coordination, and evaluation of the Program,
in accordance with the percent effort commitment to the Program, which will
usually be 30-50%. Faculty critical to the design, development,
implementation, and refinement of the specialized curriculum essential to the
needs of the Program may request salary support in accordance with the
percent effort commitment to the Program. Salary support may be requested
for program faculty for their service. The principal investigator and Program
faculty may derive additional compensation from other Federal sources or
awards provided the additional compensation does not exceed the maximum
annual salary level for Federal employees (see NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-02-
030) and their total percent effort on all awards does not exceed 100
percent.
2. Ancillary Personnel Support and Other Costs: In general, salaries for
secretaries, administrative assistants, and other ancillary personnel are not
allowed. Requests for consultant costs, equipment, supplies, and other
project related expenses must be justified as specifically required by the
proposed Program and not duplicate items generally available at the
institution for educational programs.
3. Facilities and Administrative Costs: These costs, which were formerly
called indirect costs, will be reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total
direct costs.
Evaluation:
In carrying out its stewardship of human resource related programs, the NIDDK
may request information essential to an assessment of the effectiveness of
this program. Accordingly, principal investigators are hereby notified that
they may be contacted after the completion of this award for periodic updates
on various aspects of the program.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity to
answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three
areas: scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management
issues:
o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to:
Lawrence Agodoa, M.D.
Director, Office of Minority Health Research Coordination
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Institutes of Health
2 Democracy, Room 653
6707 Democracy Boulevard
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5454
Telephone: 301-594-9652
Fax: 301-594-9358
E-mail: la21j@nih.gov
Direct inquiries regarding diabetes related content of the program to:
Sanford A. Garfield, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Biometry
and Behavioral Research
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and
Metabolic Diseases
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Institute of Health
6700 Democracy Blvd. Room 685
Rockville, MD 20814-9692
Phone: 301-594-8803
Fax: 301-402-62711
e-mail: sg50o@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
Email: fc15y@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:
David L. Mineo
Chief Grants Management Officer
Grants Management Branch
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd. Room 731, MSC 5456
Bethesda MD 20892-5456
Telephone: (301) 594-8854
FAX: (301) 480-3504
Email: dm44x@nih.gov
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes
the following information:
o Descriptive title of the proposed research
o Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
o Names of other key personnel
o Participating institutions
o Number and title of this RFA
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not
enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it
contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan
the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed at the beginning of
this document. The letter of intent should be sent to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). The PHS 398 is available at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive
format.
This RFA uses just-in-time concepts.
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS: Applications for Diabetes Based Science Education
in Tribal Schools (R25) must be submitted on Form PHS 398 using the modified
instructions below, which take into account all of the special features and
requirements of this grant.
1. Face Page: Use page AA of the form PHS 398. On Line 1 include the title
that best represents the nature of your education program. On line 2,
provide the number (i.e., RFA-DK-02-030) and the title (Diabetes Based
Science Education in Tribal Schools) of this Request for Application.
2. Description, Performance Site(s), Key Personnel: ((Page BB) of the form
PHS 398): Complete as directed in the form PHS 398 instruction package, this
should include the Principal Investigator and other faculty participating in
the program. Please make sure that you denote each individual"s degree and
departmental affiliation (or equivalent) AND, if a consortia of institutions,
institutional affiliation.
3. Table of Contents to be organized as follows:
a. Face Page
b. Description, Performance Site(s), Key Personnel
c. Table of Contents
d. Budget Page for First Year
e. Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support
f. Budgets Pertaining to Consortium/Contractual Arrangements
g. Other Sources of Institutional Training and Education Support
h. Biographical Sketches (not to exceed 4 pages per individual):
- Principal Investigator
- Other Participating Faculty
i. Education Program (Not to exceed 25 pages, excluding tables)
o Purpose and Objectives
o Specialized curriculum and other didactic experiences
o Resources and Facilities/Faculty
o Program Leadership/Management - Principal Investigator
o Evaluation Plan
j. Checklist
k. Appendices
4. Budget for the First Year: Use Page 4 (or DD) of the Form PHS 398.
5. Budget for the Entire Proposed Project Period of Support: Use Form Page
5 (or EE) of the Form PHS 398 and provide projected future year budgets in
modular format as instructed in the Form PHS 398.
6. Biographical Sketches: Provide biographical sketches using the forms
provided in the PHS Form 398 package for the Principal Investigator, Advisory
Committee Members, and other participating faculty.
7. Education Program Plan:
a. Purpose and Objectives: In this section provide background, purpose and
objectives of the Program.
b. Specialized Curriculum and Other Didactic Experiences: Describe the
proposed curriculum for either K-6 or 7-12. Explain how the development and
implementation of this curriculum is critically linked to the purpose and
objectives of the Program and to the potential success in increasing the
number of American Indian and Alaska Native youth in biomedical career
fields. Explain how this curriculum is distinguished from other curricula
within the existing educational infrastructure and framework of your
institution(s).
c. Resources and Facilities/Faculty:
Resources and Facilities: Briefly describe the infrastructure and facilities
that are available and accessible to this Program.
d. Program Leadership/Management:
o Principal Investigator: Describe the qualifications and role of the
Principal Investigator to provide leadership and coordination of the Program.
Describe plans to collaborate with the relevant primary, middle and/or high
schools.
Describe other linkages or partnerships.
o Evaluation Plan: Describe the information that will be collected, the
periods for, and criteria to be used in evaluating this Program,
8. Consortium/Contractual Arrangements: Refer to the following the following
website for guidelines on these agreements:
http://grants.nih.gov/archive/grants/policy/nihgps/part_iii_5.htm#Consortium.
9. Appendices: follow instructions provided in the PHS Form 398 application
package.
USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001)
application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the
application. Type the RFA number on the label. Failure to use this label
could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may not
reach the review committee in time for review. In addition, the RFA title
and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form
and the YES box must be marked. The RFA label is also available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original of
the application, including the Checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in
one package to:
Center For Scientific Review
National Institutes Of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be
sent to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
(use Zip 20817 for express mail)
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by the application
receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA. If an application is
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without
review.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one
already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must
include an Introduction addressing the previous critique.
PEER REVIEW
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by the CSR for completeness and
by the NIDDK program staff for responsiveness in two areas: 1) Eligibility
criteria, 2) Special Requirements. Incomplete and/or non-responsive
applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated
for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group
convened by the NIDDK in accordance with the review criteria stated below.
As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:
o Receive a written critique
o Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications under
review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o Receive a second level review by the National Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases Advisory Council.
REVIEW CRITERIA
The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health. In
the written comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the following
aspects of your application in order to judge the likelihood that the
proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these
goals.
The review criteria that will be applied to the application are briefly
described below.
The scientific review group will address and consider each of these criteria
in assigning your application"s overall score. Your application does not
need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major
scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For example, you
may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative
but is essential to move a field forward.
(1)SIGNIFICANCE: Does your study address an important problem? If the aims
of your application are achieved, how do they advance scientific knowledge?
What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that
drive this field?
o Adequacy of the justification provided for the need of the proposed
education curriculum, and the potential of its influence in the career
development of the American Indian and Alaska Native youth.
(2) APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses
adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the
project? Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative
tactics?
o The overall quality and adequacy of the design of the Program to achieve
its objectives, the degree to which the curriculum (sequence, topics,
breadth, depth, etc.) will meet these objectives.
o Adequacy of the required "Evaluation Plan" to assess the effectiveness of
the Program in achieving its objectives, and the degree of portability of the
proposed program.
o Adequacy of the plan for developing a diabetes science education program,
including use of existing resources, building partnerships with other
institutions, use of consultants, and plans for critical review of the
curriculum.
(3) INNOVATION: Does your project employ novel concepts, approaches or
methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does your project challenge
existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
(4) INVESTIGATOR: Are you appropriately trained and well suited to carry out
this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to your experience level as the
principal investigator and to that of other researchers (if any)?
o Qualifications of the key personnel and/or faculty that will participate in
the Program.
(5) ENVIRONMENT: Does the scientific environment in which your work will be
done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments
take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ
useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional
support?
o Evidence of institutional commitment to support development of the program
and development of the relevant curriculum.
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, your
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:
o DATA SHARING: The adequacy of the proposed plan to share data.
o BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period
of support in relation to the proposed research.
RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: May 11, 2002
Application Receipt Date: June 11, 2002
Peer Review Date: August 2002
Council Review: September 2002
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: September 30, 2002
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Scientific merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: The
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited
publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action that has
the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA.
It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope of this
amendment. NIH has provided guidance at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this RFA in a public
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the
application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.
URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and proposals
for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations.
Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs)
should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because
reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore,
we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they
directly access an Internet site.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving
the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People
2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This RFA is
related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain
a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.847, 93.848, and 93, and is not subject to
the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review. Awards are made under authorization of Sections 301
and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284 and
administered under NIH grants policies described at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and under Federal Regulations
42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition,
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early
childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.